Sapling
by Emmeebee
Summary: As the fight with the First Order draws to a close, Rey has to adjust to a life that isn't just focused on survival. A series of Damerey drabbles for the Star Wars Advent Calendar. Non-linear.
1. Peace

Music drifted through the clearing as the Wookiees danced and exchanged Life Day orbs. In the centre of the area stood an ornamental tree, decorated with hundreds of the coloured globes. As the sunlight streaming through from a gap in the leaves above hit the fragile glass, they shone, projecting all the colours of a Chandrilan rainbow.

Sitting off to one side, leaning back against one of the gigantic wroshyr roots, Rey held her infant daughter in her arms. The sheer joy and love of the celebrations never failed to amaze her, and she was thrilled to be able to share it with Liana.

Beside her, Poe was leaning over her shoulder, holding Liana's hand and bopping it along to the beat as he sang, exaggerating his mouth movements for her amusement. She was giggling loudly, her gaze wandering between her father and the celebrating Wookiees. Every now and again, she made noises as if she were trying to sing along, and Rey and Poe would stop to congratulate her.

Technically, this was Liana's first Life Day; at nine months old, she had been born not long after last year's celebrations. But for the Wookiees, it was like she was one of them. Rey and Poe had been accompanying Chewbacca to Kashyyyk for the holiday for several years now as part of his honour family. In fact, it was here that Rey had first truly committed to starting to pull back from the Jedi Academy in order to spend more time with Poe. The Wookiees had been there as Rey and Poe stumbled through the first years of their marriage, as they found a balance between work and family, and as they decided to make the leap and have a baby.

' _Of all the things in the galaxy,'_ Poe sang, swaying Liana's hand from side to side, _'I wish you love, peace, and prosperity. Have endless faith and ardent hope to light your way when all seems lost.'_

The last few bars of the song played, the last note lingering as the melody faded. There was a shuffle near the tree as the Wookiees rearranged themselves, preparing for the next song, and Liana started to fidget in Rey's lap. She moved Poe's hand through the air in a clear attempt to make him start singing again.

'Do you want me to keep singing?' he asked with a broad smile.

Before he could start again, a shadow fell over them. 'Chewie!' Rey said. 'I didn't expect you to be back so soon.'

The Wookiee was standing over them, an orb in his hand. He let out a low rumble.

'Yes,' Rey said, looking down at Liana, 'Chewie's right. Daddy is a good singer, isn't he?'

Liana immediately settled, letting go of Poe's hand to reach out for her honorary uncle. 'Bababababa!'

Crouching down, Chewie gently patted her on the head, ruffling her short hair.

'Ouch!' Poe exclaimed, eyes sparkling as he raised his hands to his chest as if he had taken a physical blow. 'I see where I stand.'

Chewie held out the orb, pressing it into Liana's hands. Sucking in a breath, Rey reached out to help her steady it, supporting it so it wouldn't fall. Few non-Wookiees ever received Life Day orbs; she and Poe had, but it was after years of attending the celebrations.

The girl was staring at it with wide eyes, tracing the pink and silver sparkles with her fingers.

'Isn't it pretty?' Rey asked Liana.

'Thank you,' Poe said on the girl's behalf.

* * *

A/N: For the Star Wars Advent Calendar with the prompt 'Gift-Giving Wookiees'.


	2. Celebrate is a Strong Word

Green and gold sparks shot up into the air and burst into magnificent colour. A cheer rang out at the sight as small gathering celebrated their victory. The members of the Resistance – although that name might not be appropriate anymore since there was no longer a First Order to resist – were assembled at the summit of a mountain, staring out over the rolling hills and deep ravines that dotted the landscape below. Everywhere Poe looked, the view was enough to take his breath away.

But his mind wasn't focused on the merriment or stunning scenery. Instead, he was weaving through the cheering crowd, searching for a familiar flash of brown hair.

He hadn't seen Rey since the start of the revelry. At first, he hadn't thought much of it, assuming that she was with Leia and Chewie or Finn and Rose. But then he'd seen all four of them talking by the fire, and she'd been nowhere in sight.

An uneasy feeling bubbled inside him. The battle hadn't been easy for her; they all knew that she'd been holding out hope that Kylo Ren would turn back to the side of the light. There was something admirable about her determination and idealism, even if Poe had long since written the man off for dead.

As he broke free of the crowd and started walking around the periphery of the gathering, he spotted a figure sitting off to the side, gazing into the distance. His pace quickened, and as her features came into focus, he let out a breath of relief. He hadn't been worried, exactly; anything that managed to get a drop on her was sure to regret it. Still, he hadn't liked the thought of her having to work through everything alone.

'Mind if I join you?'

Rey looked up, her gaze unfocused for a moment before it began to sharpen. 'Not at all,' she said, moving across to make more room.

Carefully, Poe dropped down to sit beside her. 'I take it you're not in the mood to celebrate.'

'I know we won,' she said. ' _He_ definitely didn't. But at the same time, it feels like a loss. I honestly thought I could turn him.'

'You did.'

She shot him a disbelieving look. 'How can you say that? If I did, he'd be here right now, talking to his mother.'

'Because you _did_.' Poe still didn't know how she'd done it, but Kylo Ren had agreed to a deal. He would go to some distant planet where he could learn more about the ways of the Force as long as he stopped using it to subjugate others, and in exchange, they would leave him alone apart from a monthly check-in. 'Maybe it wasn't in the way you intended; he'll certainly never fit into places like this. But he's still alive, isn't he? You got through to him enough that he's no longer a threat.'

Rey looked out over the edge of the mountain, her gaze fixed on some point in the distance. In front of Poe's eyes, several emotions flitted across her face; regret, sorrow, longing, hope. It had always amazed him to see how expressive she was. For her, there had never been a reason to conceal what she was feeling, and so she never tried to.

'I just feel like there was something more I could have done. Something I could've said; something I _should_ have said.'

'You can't be everything for everybody, Rey,' Poe said quietly. 'Just because you couldn't save everyone, it doesn't mean you're not a hero.'

Her reply was almost instantaneous. 'I'm not a hero.'

'Are you sure?' He jerked his head back over his shoulder. 'There are plenty of people back there who would disagree.'

There was a flash of yearning in her eyes. It transformed her face, and in that instant, he could see how she must have looked back before she realised that her parents were never coming back for her. Back when she believed her solitude was only temporary.

Ever since they had started spending time together, he had come to learn just how much she longed for a place to belong, where she would fit in and contribute and be valued. It was, he figured, why she was taking her failure to turn Kylo Ren completely so hard. She saw her own past in him, and moreover, she saw a way of being to somebody else what she had always wanted somebody to be to her.

Poe reached out to rest his hand on her shoulder. 'Without you, we – '

Her body tensed at the contact, and he let his hand fall to the ground between them. 'Sorry,' he said. 'My family was very tactile, and I sometimes forget that other people aren't.'

'No, it's okay,' she said. 'It's just… On Jakku, people don't touch each other unless they want something. I know you're not like that, but…'

'But old habits die hard?' he asked with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

'If they die at all.' She glanced over her shoulder, looking back at the gathering as another loud cheer rose into the night. 'I'm not ready to celebrate, but I wouldn't mind something to eat. Do you want to come with me?'

'Of course.' He stood and moved to give her space to get to her feet as well. 'You need to try the bread; it's amazing.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: green and gold


	3. Hiking

Poe paused to take a long swig from his waterskin before continuing along the winding path. Sweat had gathered at the base of his neck, and no amount of wiping could get it under control. It was the height of summer, and the hot sun was beating down on him like a hammer on an anvil.

Next to him, Rey appeared unfazed by the temperature. Having grown up on a desert planet that fluctuated between scorching heat in the day and freezing cold at night, judging from his brief time there, she was used to extreme weather.

'Anything?' Poe asked, hoping he didn't sound desperate.

She shook her head. 'It's starting to look familiar, but we're not there yet.'

A few weeks ago, Rey had been meditating on the question of where to set up the new Jedi Academy when she was impressed by an image of a large open field at the top of a waterfall. Based on her descriptions, Chewie and Rose had created a shortlist of planets that might be able to support that kind of environment. Since then, Rey and Poe had been travelling the galaxy, searching for the place from her dream.

This was the last place on the list. To Poe's relief, the moment they landed, Rey had said that it felt _right_ here. Still, she wasn't sure whether she'd be able to identify the exact location from above, so they had opted to walk. Now, a few hours in, he was beginning to regret not waiting for a milder day.

He kept that opinion to himself. The mission was too important to be delayed for one man's convenience.

Rey had almost died in the final battle against Kylo Ren several months before. Ever since then, Poe's advisers had been stressing the importance of her passing on her knowledge to others. At first, he had ignored their advice. He and Rey had become good friends during the war, and he had been offended that some of them saw her merely as a means to an end.

But as time passed, he had begun to see the wisdom in their words. At the moment, their enemies knew that if they took out Rey, the Resistance would be significantly weakened. They had to address that weakness. Besides, on a purely personal level, it would make her safer, too; the more Jedi there were, the less of a target Rey would be.

And for that to happen, they had to find somewhere to build the new Jedi Academy. Fortunately, this planet also had an old outpost from the original Rebellion. They would have to inspect it to make sure it was habitable, but assuming it was still standing, they should be able to set up the Resistance's base here as well. Despite Poe's time as a leader during the war, he knew that he was a battlefield commander first and foremost; he was ill equipped for dealing with life in government. Perhaps, instead, he could work on maintaining their fleet and keeping the Resistance operational as some sort of special taskforce in case the government ever became corrupt again.

Suddenly, Rey stopped walking, and Poe realised that he had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't been paying any attention to where they were going. Looking around, he realised that they had reached the top of an incline that petered out into a large field with long grass that blew gently in the warm breeze. In the distance, he could hear the sound of water crashing.

'We're here,' Rey said. 'It's perfect.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: solstice


	4. Family

The fire flickered and crackled as the stew simmered, filling the garden with the heady scent of smoke and half-cooked beef. Sitting nearby, legs stretched out to get closer to the warmth, Rey could almost imagine how life must have been like for Poe as a child. Running through the trees of the jungle, jumping across dry patches amidst the swampy areas… curious, brave, free.

'And then he came trudging back, head hanging low and hands stuffed in his pockets, to tell me he'd crashed the darn thing in the swamp and couldn't get it out,' Kes said with a deep, hearty laugh.

Feeling lighter and bubblier than she ever had, Rey looked over at Poe. 'You made a toy plane out of household materials and _crashed_ it?'

He shrugged, not looking in the least bit embarrassed. His body was relaxed, his gaze warm and content. 'I always wanted to fly.'

'Me, too,' Rey admitted. 'I found an old helmet in a wreckage on Jakku and kept it with me for years, picturing – I can get that.'

Kes had stood up, fetching another log and trying to feed it into the fire. However, his hand had quickly snapped back, the log with it. Apparently, it was too hot to keep his hand close to the heat for long enough to wedge it in there.

With a permissive wave of his hand, Kes set the log on the ground.

Tapping into the Force, focusing on the way it moved around her, Rey levitated the log over to the fire, threading it in between the other logs and the cooking pot.

'Keep doing things like that, and he'll start to prefer you over me,' Poe said.

Rey laughed, a rush of joy surging through her at the words. It wasn't true, of course, and she wouldn't want it to be. As much as Kes and Poe liked to josh each other, it was clear that they loved one another deeply. However, they were both so supportive, inviting her into their family without a moment's hesitation. Even before she had started seeing Poe, he had been welcoming, somehow able to make her feel valued from the start. Now that they were together, that was only more pronounced.

'"Start"?' Kes asked, causing Poe to dissolve into chortles.

Poe nudged Rey in the side. 'I told you he'd love you.'

'You did,' she said, although she wasn't sure she would call it _love_. Like, perhaps, and hospitality, certainly, but hardly love.

Then again, how long had it taken her to accept that Poe meant it when he said that he loved her?

'Jokes aside,' Kes said, 'you're welcome here anytime – Jedi powers or not.'

'I might take you up on that.'

'That's what invitations are for, isn't it?' he asked.

Maybe it was. But, more to the point, that was what _family_ was for.

The fire shone red and orange against the darkening sky, and for a moment, the only sound she could hear was the chirping of crickets. The thought of more nights like this, cooking stew or barbecuing meat or even baking damper, doing all the things that she'd wished she could as a little girl, was a heady one.

Between her friends, her job training new padawans, and evenings like this with Poe and Kes, she had found where she belonged.

She would fight not to let any of it go.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: barbecue


	5. Burning

The first sign that something was amiss was the smoke rising in thick plumes to block out the sun. Heart in his throat, Poe circled high above the plain, staring down through the window of the cockpit.

Towering bonfires dotted the clearing like beacons, and the abandoned outpost that stood there mere days ago — that they had been planning to reoccupy as a base of operations for their next strike — had been decimated.

As he watched, stormtroopers hacked away at the remaining buildings, pulling off strips of wood and throwing them into the bonfires. The flames flared up with each new addition.

BB8 let out a string of beeps and woops beside him.

'Yeah, it's definitely a message,' he agreed.

Rey rushed in, Finn following a few steps behind her. 'Something's wrong,' she said. 'I can sense danger nearby.'

'They found the outpost.' Poe did another sweeping circuit of the area, and Finn cursed behind him as he angled the ship to get a good view of the plain while remaining out of sight.

'Did they know we were coming, or was it a coincidence?' Finn asked.

'I don't know how they _could_ have known,' Poe said. 'No one else knew this was our destination.'

There had been a leak a few months ago, and they had discovered that one of their members was spying for the First Order. Since then, security had been tightened. Leia had been keeping the plan quiet, with each tactical team knowing their role but not how it fit into the bigger picture.

Rey was peering out the window intently, no doubt searching for a glimpse of Kylo Ren. She still thought she could turn him, although he knew her hope was rapidly fading.

'Look over there,' she said suddenly, pointing into the distance. 'This isn't the only place they're burning.'

Perhaps he had been wrong about what she was looking at. Following her finger, he saw another plume of smoke far off in the distance.

'There's one over there, as well,' Finn said, gesturing in the opposite direction.

The third one was smaller. Just a cabin, maybe?

BB8 beeped again, this time thoughtful rather than afraid.

Poe nodded. 'They're clearing out anywhere we might try to hide. I'd bet there won't be anything left by the time they're through.'

'That means they probably don't know,' Rey said. 'They're just setting up a base.'

'That means the plan is still going ahead.' Turning the ship, Poe accelerated, using the smoke as cover.

He needed to tell Leia about this development. They wouldn't be able to take shelter at the outpost, and they'd have to move quickly before Kylo Ren could set up any defences, but it was still feasible.

If all went as they hoped, this planet would be the site of their final confrontation with the First Order.

A/N: Prompt: bonfires


	6. Ghost Stories

The room was dark but for the glow of the candle sitting on the floor in the middle of Poe and Finn's room on the Resistance ship. Poe leant close to it, letting it cast shadows across his face. Rey, Finn and Rose sat nearby, all as silent and still as a grave.

'Then he pulled back the curtain,' Poe said, speaking menacingly but softly so they had to strain to hear him, 'and when he did, he saw… _the old woman, back from the dead_.'

Finn gasped, and Rose recoiled, pressing herself against the edge of the bunk bed as her hand jerked to her chest.

Rey was the only one who didn't move. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, and her gaze was fixed on him, as it had been since the story started. Even when Finn had offered her water earlier, she had simply shook her head without looking away. 'This happened on Yavin 4?'

'Ah… yes.' That had been a throwaway detail, included out of sentimentality, not narrative significance.

Rose laughed self-deprecatingly. 'I'm not sure how we're going to walk back to our room after this. I'm going to be jumping at shadows the whole way.'

'I can walk you,' Finn told her.

'Then how are you going to get back?'

He grinned. 'With a lot of jumping.'

'Your turn, Rey,' Poe said, moving away from the flickering candle.

'I'm not a very good storyteller — not like you.'

'You don't have to be.'

She looked between the three of them before shuffling forward to take her place by the candle. 'On Jakku, there was a young girl. She spent each day scavenging for scraps and always returned home by dark. One day, a sandstorm blew in while she was stripping a ship for parts. She tried to leave, but the winds were too harsh.

'It lasted for hours. She knew she should stay awake, but she was so tired that she couldn't keep her eyes open. She woke to the sound of metal scraping against metal as footsteps echoed through the empty husk. Terrified, she grabbed her things and hid under a bed in a back room. A ship this untouched was rare; some people would kill to be the one to scavenge it.'

Poe was hooked on her words. She wasn't a natural storyteller, the details sparse and pacing haphazard. But the story itself was vivid and realistic, and her expressions were engaging. With practice, she could be good.

By the time she finished explaining how the girl waited until the sandstorm stopped to tiptoe through the ship, looking for signs of whether the man was still there, he was fully invested in the tale.

'Was that kind of thing common on Jakku?' Finn asked.

'I think so. I told Unkar Plutt about it when I got back to the outpost, and he said it was one of the "dangers of the trade".'

Rose leant forward. 'That was a true story?'

'Of course.' She frowned. 'Isn't that the point of the game?'

Poe's chest constricted. She'd said the girl was young… 'How old were you at the time?'

'Six,' she said, and he didn't know what was worse: the age or how unflinchingly she said it, as if she didn't realise how abnormal that was.

Children should be protected, not forced to scavenge and hide to survive.

But she was starting to look uncomfortable with the attention, so he pushed his horror aside for later. 'People usually make up ghost stories, but they can be real too. You're up, Finn.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: ghost stories


	7. Like Having A Mother

Adjusting to life on such a busy ship had been difficult for Rey. While she enjoyed having friends and being surrounded by people who wanted to work with her rather than against her, there were times when she wanted nothing more than to be alone.

Rey was grateful for Leia's support. The general always had a thousand and one tasks to oversee and people to assist, yet she consistently set aside time to talk to Rey. Whenever she feared that her desire to shut herself off from the world was selfish, it was Leia or Poe who reassured her.

Spending time with Leia was what she thought having a mother would be like. How Ben Solo could have thrown that away was incomprehensible to her.

One evening, after they had both finished their duties for the day, Leia invited Rey into her quarters. The leaders' rooms were spread throughout the ship as a show of solidarity and community, but it was nevertheless rare for anyone to visit them.

'Would you like a bowl of soup?' Leia asked as she shut the door behind them. 'There was some left over from lunch.'

'Please. I didn't get a chance to stop.'

'I noticed.' Walking over to a small eating area, Leia started to bustle around, ladling out and reheating the soup. 'The cutlery is on the top drawer. While I appreciate your dedication, you must take care not to overwork yourself.'

'It was important,' Rey said, fetching the spoons. 'One or two missed meals is nothing compared to what will happen if we're not prepared when we fight the First Order.'

'One or two, no. Not today. But one or two builds up.' Leia smiled ruefully. 'There will be days when you need to give everything you can and more, but today is not that day. If you deplete yourself now, you will have nothing left when the time comes.'

'Everyone else is always working.'

'Not as much as you.' As they settled at the table, she added, 'I hope you like cinnamon and nutmeg. Our cooks arranged a trade at our last stop.'

Rey had a spoonful, and flavour exploded in her mouth. She didn't recognise any of it; spices and soups had been unheard of at the outpost. 'This is delicious.'

Leia laughed. 'We have no choice but to ration our food supplies, but we do like to arrange for fancier meals every once in a while. We find it improves morale.'

'I can see why,' Rey said, already lifting the second spoonful to her mouth.

'Yes.' A mischievous gleam entered Leia's eyes. 'Poe liked it too.'

'Mm-hmm.'

'I'm glad he has been such a good support to you since you joined us. He's always been such a nice boy.'

Rey glanced up to see Leia watching her intently. 'What are you trying to say?'

'He may not have noticed how you look at him, but I have.'

Her face heated until it felt as hot as the deserts of Jakku. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

Leia's eyebrows rose.

Rey was tempted to deny it further, but she hesitated. This was what she wanted, wasn't it? All her life, she had dreamed of being reunited with her parents, hugging her father and talking to her mother. That hope might have died that day in the throne room, but that didn't mean it couldn't be reborn as something new.

'It's possible that I like him.'

Leia's smile widened. 'Good. Because I've seen the way he looks at you, too.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: cinnamon and nutmeg


	8. Bedtime

'Why do I have to go to bed when the others don't?' Krina asked as Poe tucked her into bed. Her brown eyes glinted accusingly in the moonlight streaming in through her bedroom window. 'I'm not sleepy.'

He bit back a laugh. It was already hours past her bedtime, and she had been stifling yawns all evening, clearly trying not to bring any attention to her growing tiredness. 'When you're as old as your siblings, you'll be able to stay up late, too.'

She frowned. 'But I want to stay up _now_.'

'Ah, but then you won't get a bedtime story.'

'I could have it later.'

'You could, except my voice will be asleep by then.' Lowering his voice, he said, 'It's already starting!'

'Daddy, that doesn't make sense,' she said, but she was laughing, and she didn't protest as he pulled the covers up to her chin and sat on the foot of her bed.

After all, if there was one thing Krina liked more than anything, it was a bedtime story. Even from such a young age, it was clear that she had inherited her parents' love of adventure and travel.

'Do you have any requests?'

'Something I haven't heard before. Something that will take a while.'

He thought for a moment, then he remembered a tale he and Rey had heard from a friend from Corellia several years ago. As far as he knew, neither of them had ever told Krina about it. 'Of all the animals on Corellia, the most famous is Monagha Schnelle. A large she-wolf with red-orange fur and bright yellow eyes, she stalks through the night, as swift and silent' — his voice dropped — 'as a whisper.'

Krina glanced over at the toy lightsaber Poe's father had carved for her out of a fallen Massassi branch. 'Does she hurt people?'

'Oh, no. She never would. You see, she has a job to do. She goes to the houses of all the boys and girls who have been good that year and leaves them gifts.'

'What kind of gifts?'

'All different kinds,' he said to buy himself time to think. His friend had given examples, but he couldn't remember any of them specifically. 'Toys and books, mostly.'

A troubled expression shadowed her face. 'What about the boys and girls who haven't been good? What does she do to them?'

'She howls outside their bedroom window, waking them, and then moves on.'

'That sounds awful.' Her eyes closed, and she was slow to open them again. 'What do you think she would do if she came here? Would she howl?'

'At you? Never.'

'Mmm.' Her eyes closed once more, and she was quiet for so long that he started to stand. 'Why _doesn't_ she come here?'

'It would take her too long, and she probably has a family or friends on Corellia that she would miss. But we have things here that they don't have, either, like our jungle and our wildlife and our Massassi trees.'

Walking over, Poe kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room, hoping her sleep was full of pleasant dreams of home, she-wolves, and adventure.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: Monagha Schnelle


	9. Awestruck

As the vulptex sneaked out through a tiny gap in the rocks, Poe tried to remain positive for the others. Despondence was the death of hope, and at the moment, they needed all the hope they could get. The remaining members of the Resistance were all confined to one place, and they didn't know how much time Luke would be able to buy them. If Kylo Ren caught them, he'd be able to wipe out the last of their people in one fell swoop, solidifying Snoke's place in the galaxy.

They couldn't let that happen. Somehow, as improbable as it sounded, they were going to find a way off this planet. They were going to succeed because they had to succeed; they had no other option. Their spark would _not_ be snuffed out here.

'Help me,' he told Finn, nodding at the pile.

Clambering up the side of the cave-in, they started to dislodge the rocks that were small enough to move, passing them back down to the others to dispose of.

'It's too slow,' Finn said quietly. 'It'll take too long to create enough space to get through.'

Poe agreed, but they couldn't give in. As far as they knew, it was the only way out, and they wouldn't win in a gunfight. 'We've got this.'

They were only a few rocks in when he felt movement beneath him, sending him careening forward. He grabbed one of the larger boulders for balance; beside him, Finn did the same.

'Be careful!' someone called up at them.

Tilting his ear closer to the existing hole, Poe heard a low scraping and rumbling noise. It sounded like rock moving against rock. It was steadier and more constant than a single person, or even a group of people, could manage. Was someone using a machine? But who and how?

'Get back!' Finn shouted, and they both started scrambling down.

'What is it?' Kaydel asked, stepping forward to help them.

'I don't know.' Poe frowned. Was it the First Order? Who else would have had access to the machinery needed to clear the rocks away? 'Maybe some of us should stay here to investigate while the rest retreats.'

But Leia smiled, small but triumphant. 'It's Rey. She's found us.'

Their feet were firmly on the ground before the rocks closest to them wiggled and dislodged, rising up into the air and drifting away. Boulders that Poe and Finn would have had to work together to budge moved aside as if they were weightless.

Poe had heard stories about the Jedi from both his father and Leia, so he knew this was only a small glimpse of what they were capable of. But seeing it with his own eyes was different, the show of power and control blowing him away. As the gap grew bigger, more light streamed in.

The instant the path was clear, Poe rushed forward, Finn and the others at his heels.

His steps faltered when he reached the exit. Rocks and boulders of varying sizes were suspended in mid-air like an asteroid field. At the other side of the clearing, bathed in light, stood a figure who he knew must be Rey.

Poe hesitated, awestruck and overwhelmed with relief, until Finn started to rush forward. Then, he followed, clearing the way for the others to exit the cave as Rey and Finn hugged.

They still had to get off Crait and put as much distance between themselves and the First Order as possible. But once they had some room to breathe, Poe looked forward to meeting her.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: "Where the love-light gleams"


	10. Charmed

Rey rambled as they entered the ballroom, the way she always did when she was nervous. Clothed in a green dress that stopped just below her knees, she walked as if she were being constrained. If a fight were to break out, it would just get in the way, and from what she'd said before they left that morning, she knew it. The silky material flattered her, but it didn't _suit_ her.

Poe didn't feel much better in his dress suit. While he had worn formal wear several times over the years, he had always been more at home in flight gear. Fancy clothes were nice, but they just seemed pointless when the credits could have been better spent on upgrading ships instead.

Nevertheless, Leia had asked them to attend this soirée to network, and they would have done anything for her, even if it meant dressing up like prestige ponies without riders to guide them.

'Relax,' he murmured, touching her back comfortingly. 'We've got this. They're nothing compared to the First Order.'

She smiled self-deprecating. 'They are, aren't they? It's not life and death; there's nothing to worry about.'

'It's new.' Poe shrugged. 'It's normal to be cautious.'

Besides, Rey was a perfectionist. On Jakku, failure meant death, so she gave her all to everything she did. Being somewhere like this, about to do something she was unfamiliar with, was stressful for her.

'I suppose.' They moved off to the side and surveyed the ballroom. People milled about, talking quietly, and a band was playing soft music from one corner. 'Do you see any of the people Leia asked us to speak to?'

'Stori is near the refreshment table.' Ever so slightly, he inclined his head towards Stori, a purple-skinned man with ears as large as his head. He had already met a few of the people on the list; the others, he knew by sight and reputation alone. 'We could start with him.'

They systematically made their way around the gathering, introducing themselves to the people Leia had specified and talking to them about the need for funding for the new Jedi Academy that Rey was hoping to start. Approaching people with such an agenda didn't come naturally to either of them; they were both too straightforward for the smoke and mirrors of political manoeuvring.

Fortunately, Rey's earnestness seemed to charm the other partygoers, just as it charmed him. She didn't try to trick or guilt them into pledging aid, instead being open about her goal and trusting that to be enough.

By the time they finished speaking to everyone, a number of people had already promised their support. She looked much more comfortable in her dress, no longer compulsively adjusting it, although he still thought she seemed more at home in trousers and boots.

Later that night, as they ate chocolate oranges and drank fortified beer, was when he first realised he loved her. It struck like a thunderbolt; unexpected. yet as natural as anything he had ever felt.

It was too early in their relationship for him to say anything; instead, Poe finished off the last of his drink and set the empty glass aside. 'We should dance.'

Rey beamed.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: chocolate oranges


	11. The Amazing In Everything

Kashyyyk was beautiful, with dense forests and stunning treetop houses connected by sturdy wooden bridges. It was vibrant and full of all kinds of life, from lush green leaves and bushes to singing birds and scurrying possums to the Wookiees themselves. Knowing how rare it was for other lifeforms to be invited here, let alone for Life Day, Poe recognised the trust Chewie was showing by bringing them with him.

Rey slipped her hand into his, and he smiled at the wonder on her face as she stared out over the railing of the bridge they were standing on. No matter how far they travelled, she still marvelled at everything they saw. He had always loved experiencing different places and cultures, but she brought new meaning to the word wanderlust, eagerly taking in everything she could.

'We should keep moving,' Poe said, glancing up at the position of the sun in the sky. 'Chewie's expecting us.'

'You're right,' she said reluctantly, stepping away from the railing. 'It's hard to imagine anyone ever leaving this place; it's so amazing here.'

'There's something amazing everywhere if you look hard enough.' Chewie had given them directions to the Tree of Life before they left to explore, but as they made their way through the trees, Poe realised it wasn't necessary. All they needed to do was follow the Wookiees as they trekked down towards the celebration site.

'Everywhere?'

He raised his eyebrows. 'Test me.'

'The Star Destroyer.'

'It's an impressive feat of engineering.'

'Canto Bight.'

That one was harder. While he had heard about the tourist town, he'd never been there himself, so he could only go off hearsay. 'From what Finn and Rose said, it _is_ beautiful. And I'm sure a lot of work goes into running the attractions.'

'Jakku.'

'You.' She rolled her eyes, although a smile tugged at her lips at his cheeky response. 'How capable and resilient everyone is,' he said more seriously.

'How do you do that?'

'Practice. My mum thought it was important to see the good in everyone, so when I was young, she made me say something good every time I said something bad about someone. I had to get creative sometimes, but I could always find _something_ they were good at. It eventually became a habit.'

'I'll say. There are some people — _Oh._ That's stunning.'

They'd reached the Tree of Life. Standing tall in the middle of a clearing, it had to be at least a thousand years old. Its branches were laden with colourful orbs, which shone bright against the browns and greens of the surrounding forest. Hundreds of Wookiees were already gathered around its trunk, talking and laughing in the morning light.

'This _is_ more amazing than most places,' Poe admitted. If he were Chewie, he didn't know if he'd ever want to leave.

Chewie walked over and drew them both into a tight hug. When he pulled away, they followed him into the thick of the celebration. As they got swept away in the crowd, Poe knew one thing more than anything.

No matter where they went, as long as they were together, there would be something amazing they could find.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: Life Day


	12. A Thousand Little Lights

The kyber crystal felt warm and right in the palm of Rey's hand. As she turned it over, it glistened like a thousand little lights. It was gold like sand, like warmth, like love, and she was transfixed. Whether she had been born to hold it or it had been formed for her, or both, she didn't know.

She had thought Luke's lightsaber was a good match, but this crystal sung to her, an intriguing lullaby that drew her in and soothed her. How much more profound would it feel once she'd fashioned it into a lightsaber of her own? How much more a part of her would it become?

Standing, she slipped the crystal into a pouch inside her coat and tightened the strings. The instant it disappeared from view, she wanted to pull it back out again, but she resisted the urge. She'd need her hands free to get back to the Falcon, and the pouch was the safest spot for it.

It took mere minutes for her to pack her things; she'd brought only what she had to into the cave with her. Then, tugging on her gloves, she started her trek back to the surface.

Ilum was freezing, covered by thick snow and endless sheets of ice. Leia had prepared her for the journey, explaining how to get across the terrain safely, but it was still a challenge. Rey was used to extreme heat, not cold.

The Crystal Cave, however, was stunning. She had a flashlight, but she hardly needed it. The walls were inlaid with sparkling crystals, transparent and waiting for someone to come and bond with them. It was no wonder why the Jedi had always been drawn to this place. The Force had a presence there like nothing she'd ever felt, and she wasn't ready to leave.

But Rey knew she must. Poe and Chewie were waiting on the Falcon, giving her time and space to find her crystal, and they had to return to the Resistance as soon as possible. And Finn and Rose were back on the base, no doubt anxious to hear about her progress. They had wanted to accompany her as well but couldn't be spared.

Stepping out of the cave and into the dim evening light, she turned for one last look back into the cave. One day, another Jedi would come here to find the crystal that was meant for them — then another, then another. It would no longer be an abandoned, desolate place, but rather one with a purpose once more.

Taking a deep breath, she continued to walk, the door to the Falcon opening for her as she approached.

One day, the cave would be in use again, but Rey had much to do before that day came.

They all did.

'Did you find it?' Poe asked once the door had closed behind her. 'Are you ready to go?'

Opening the pouch, she pulled out the sparkling gold crystal. Even though she knew what to expect, the sense of _rightness_ still took her aback.

'Yes,' Rey said. 'I'm ready.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: crystal


	13. Trip to the Zoo Planet

Strolling through the sections of Tynyr was a surreal feeling. Artificially created to be a zoo planet, it consisted of a series of vastly different microclimates, each one carefully monitored and maintained by meteorologists and engineers to ensure viability. From space, it looked like a patchwork quilt of blues, whites, greens, oranges and reds, the changes between them neat and pronounced.

From the ground, it was even more peculiar. In each section, animals native to those conditions roamed free. The only disruptions were the paths winding through the centre, surrounded by enforced, one-way plexiglass to protect both the visitors and the resident animals. Using the network of paths, it was possible to go back and forth between the driest and plainest of deserts to the liveliest and most vibrant of rainforests in mere seconds.

It was breathtaking. Species from all over the galaxy are gathered here for all to see. People who couldn't afford to tour different planets could see their wildlife on Tynyr, and if anything happened to their home worlds, at least some of the animals would survive to continue their species.

As Rey and Poe entered the last exhibit, the world around them was bathed in white and grey. The ground sloped gently to their right, and trees rose up around them, their branches and leaves covered by a thick coat of snow.

Rey's hand dropped to the lightsaber at her waist for a brief moment. The resemblance to Ilum was so strong that it was almost like she was back there, finding her kyber crystal for the first time. Except this time, Poe was with her instead of waiting back on the Falcon.

A snowfeather bird hopped along the ground to their left, its soft song barely audible over the chatter of the other visitors.

'Look at you.' Poe stepped to the side to let other people pass and knelt down to get a closer look. To Rey, he added, 'I'm surprised it can survive in these temperatures. It doesn't have much body mass to keep it warm.'

'It's the feathers.' Before her trip down to the Crystal Cave, Rey had read up on Ilum's flora and fauna to make sure she was prepared. The snowfeathers hadn't posed her any danger, but she'd found them fascinating at the time. 'They're oily and create a barrier from the snow, which helps to keep them warm.'

'Aren't you clever?' he asked the bird, who turned to tweet at him. Shock coloured his voice. 'Can you hear me? The plexiglass is supposed to be soundproof.'

'They're Force-sensitive,' Rey said, laughing. 'It can probably sense you're there.'

'It's incredible.' They stayed there for a few more minutes, admiring the bird. Then, Poe rose to his feet and took Rey's hand, and they continued through the snow-coated landscape.

Just before they reached the exit, the path forked.

'Let's go this way,' Poe suggested.

Not wanting to leave yet, Rey agreed, following him down the path. The stretch ahead was empty, and as much as she'd enjoyed the date so far, the comparative silence was a relief. 'Thank you for convincing me to come,' she said. 'You were right; a break is exactly what I needed.'

'Me too. As hard as it is to leave, sometimes, you just need to get away and breathe.' He hesitated. 'With someone you care about.'

Her gaze dipped to his mouth, and she shifted closer to him. What would it have been like to kiss him? She had wanted to for a few weeks now, but they'd been constantly surrounded by people, and the moment had never been right.

She wasn't sure whether this was the right time, either. While she had kissed someone before, it had been hasty and rushed, born more out of impulse than genuine feeling. This was different; what if that meant it should _be_ different? Was there something she was supposed to do or say first, some norm she didn't know?

Fortunately, Poe took the decision out of her hands, closing the remaining space between them and lowering his head to kiss her. He paused for a moment before their lips met, giving her the chance to pull away.

Impatient, she did the opposite.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: snowfeather bird


	14. Carved Lightning

Rey exhaled slowly in relief as Poe stole the lightning bolt from Rose. Carved from the fallen branch of an astoros tree, which was known for the yellowish tinge to its pale wood, it looked quite realistic.

Ever since the Resistance had set up a new base planetside, life had changed. They were still working hard to spread the truth about the conflict, prepare their forces for battle, and interrupt the First Order's schemes, but they were no longer confined to ships.

Kaydel was the one who had suggested making the most of their comparative freedom by having a white elephant exchange among their group of friends. Since she was the only one who had heard about it before, she'd had to explain how it worked, but they'd all agreed to a one-week timeframe to find the most interesting, pointless, cost-effective gift they could.

The idea had both excited and scared Rey. She'd never had the credits to buy a gift before, let alone someone to give it to, and she was terrified of messing it up. But the moment she'd seen the carved lightning bolt, she'd known it was perfect for Poe.

The point of the game wasn't to buy a gift _for_ someone. There was no way to guarantee a particular person would want a particular gift, even less to make sure they ended up with it, so the point was to choose a gift that would appeal to as many people as possible.

If anything, that had made her more determined to buy the carved lightning. Giving it to Poe outright would have been too direct. What if he didn't remember the conversation she was alluding to, or if he _did_ remember but didn't want the gift? There would be no hiding or sidestepping the issue.

Offering the gift up in a group like this had felt safer. If Poe wanted it, he could pick it, and she'd been fairly sure nobody else would care enough to steal it away. If he didn't, he could pretend he just didn't recognise its significance.

As soon as he'd seen it, however, he'd looked straight at her, the stunned expression on his face making it clear he realised what it meant.

And now, he'd used the last move of the game to steal it back from Rose. He could have chosen anything from anyone — the music player, the prank book, the multicoloured wig, the toy bear — but he'd chosen the carved lightning bolt.

Rose grinned, holding onto the bear she'd been left with. She'd had two gifts at the start of his turn, and it was clear she was happy with the one she had left.

'Now for the moment of truth,' Finn said, clapping his hands together. 'Who brought which gift?'

'The bear was from me. The lightning was from Rey.' Poe rose to his feet abruptly. 'Rey, can we talk outside?'

Kaydel frowned. 'How do you know which gift Rey brought? She's not supposed to have told anyone.'

'He worked it out.' Rey stood, placing the music player on her seat for safekeeping, and followed Poe out into the hallway.

They waited to speak until they were far enough away from the others that they couldn't be heard.

Unlike Rey, Poe was still holding his gift. 'How did you find this?'

'Its creator is supposed to be the best woodcrafter in town. I didn't have anything in mind at the time, but then I saw that, and I knew.'

'I love it.' His gaze darted down to the pale, yellow-tinged wood before meeting hers. 'Assuming I'm not reading too much into this, do you want to go on a date?'

Rey grinned. 'You're not reading too much into it. I would love to.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: white elegant exchange

The significance of the lightning will be addressed in a few chapters' time.


	15. The Rest of Their Lives

The lone pohutukawa tree in Poe's childhood backyard was a source of many special memories for him. When he was a baby, its vibrant red leaves had been fascinating, and as he'd grown, it had become one of his favourite trees to climb. Its long, twisting branches had offered endless challenges and possibilities, and it had been close enough to the house for him to hear when his mother called out to say she was going flying.

Now, it was about to be the site for yet another memory, this one the most special yet.

His and Rey's closest friends and family sat in rows in front of him, waiting patiently. Then, the flutist began to play, and Rey began to walk down the aisle, her arm linked through Leia's. She'd taken some time to decide whether she wanted to walk by herself or be accompanied, but seeing the sheer joy radiating from them both, Poe knew she'd made the right decision.

Dressed in white, holding a bouquet made from native flowers, and beaming broadly, Rey looked like a vision as she reached the end of the aisle, kissed Leia, and continued the last few steps alone.

As far as Poe was concerned, she would never have to be alone again. He offered her his hand as soon as she reached him, and she took it, squeezing it gently.

It was hard to tear his eyes away from her, and from the expression on her face, the feeling was mutual. But as much as he wanted to savour the moment, the most exciting part was yet to come. They would savour the moment all they wanted after they were wed.

'I love you,' he murmured.

'I love you too,' she replied, just as quietly.

Then, they turned to face the clergyman.

The ceremony seemed to fly by. Before long, they were exchanging vows, swearing to stay true and fight beside each other in all senses of the word. Poe had spent weeks preparing his vows, but in the moment, it felt as unrehearsed and heartfelt as anything he'd ever said, and from the way Rey's eyes glistened as she said her own vows, he knew she felt the same.

Then his mother's wedding ring was on Rey's finger, and the ring she'd chosen was on his, and they were kissing for the first time as husband and wife. As they pulled apart, they smiled at one another, and his heart was as full and happy as he remembered it ever being.

Once, Poe had wondered whether he'd feel bereft without the chain around his neck. He'd worn it for so long that he was used to the feeling of the skin-warmed metal pressed against his chest. But he realised with pleasure that that wasn't the case at all. While it felt odd without it, he far preferred the ring's place around Rey's finger.

He knew his mother would have preferred it there, too. She would have loved Rey if she'd met her.

As they walked back down the aisle, laughing as their friends and family threw flower petals at them, one sentence from Rey's vows lingered in his mind.

 _I never knew what love felt like until I found you._

It had stood out to him because he felt the same way about her. They'd come from vastly different backgrounds; he'd never _not_ known what it meant to love and be loved by parents and friends. But when it came to romantic love, he'd never truly felt it until he found her, either.

They walked past the last row of chairs and into the rest of their lives.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: pohutukawa


	16. Thunder and Lightning

'Why do you wear that ring around your neck?' Rey asked as she twisted the silver and blue spanner for the last time and pulled out the final bolt holding the cover in place. Easing it down to the ground, she peeked into the ship's engine.

The Resistance had acquired a second-hand ship, and she and Poe had been asked to assess its condition and make it airworthy. They'd decided that she would access the engine while he made a register of the spare parts they'd been given. Apparently, the current one hadn't been updated since before Rey joined the Resistance, so it was woefully out of date.

Poe made a mark on his list and put an atmospheric thruster into the box of parts he'd already inventoried. 'It's my mother's. She died when I was young, and wearing it reminds me of her.'

'Oh. Poe, I'm so sorry.'

'It was a long time ago,' he replied, but that didn't matter. Loss was loss; it never fully went away. 'Dad gave it to me after she died. I keep it on the chain so I don't get separated from it.'

'I used to have a pouch for that.' Frowning, she examined one of the cables. It was frayed; not dangerously so, but enough that it could cause a problem later. 'Do you have a spare category B1B2 cable?'

Poe passed her one, and she carefully disconnected the frayed cable and set about replacing it.

'I think it's sweet. How long have you been wearing it?'

'Several years now.' He paused. 'If I ever get married, I'm going to give it to my wife.'

As Rey secured the new cable into place and disposed of the old one, she considered his words. 'People rarely got married at the outpost. We didn't have a clergyman, and it was too expensive to travel to one. But I always thought it was common elsewhere.'

'It is.'

'Then why are so few people here married?' Rey asked. As a little girl, she'd imagined that everyone outside the outpost was married, yet that didn't seem to be the case at all.

'It's difficult to meet people when we're on the move all the time,' Poe said. 'And most of the people who have sweethearts at home are waiting until the First Order is defeated. Otherwise, it'll turn them into a target.'

'Is that why you aren't married?' She found it hard to believe he'd never had the opportunity. He was a good man: brave, warm, and funny, and his physical attractiveness was undeniable. 'Are you waiting?'

'No. I don't think I could be with someone who was willing to sit at home and wait.' Poe marked off another part. 'My mum used to say marriage should be like thunder and lightning; two entities that are impressive on their own coming together to be even more formidable.'

'I like that,' Rey said. 'Was that what your parents were like?'

He nodded. 'Nobody who met my parents ever questioned why they were together. They were in love, but they were also best friends and trusted each other with everything. I've never felt that way about anyone, and I'm not going to settle for anything less.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: blue and silver


	17. Different

Music and chatter surrounded Finn and Poe as they entered the fairground. People were laughing and talking animatedly as they moved from stall to stall, and overhead speakers blared out a jolly tune for all to hear. Even the chill clinging to the air wasn't able to take away their cheer.

Finn took in the activity with a smile. The only time they'd been allowed to celebrate on Starkiller Base was when they cast a blow against the Resistance, and even then, all it amounted to was an extra portion of food at dinner. Even after all this time, the idea of festivals like the Winter Fete never ceased to amaze him.

They were there on a mission, of course; a vendor named Zana had information about the First Order that she'd promised to give them under the guise of selling them an antique sugar bowl. But when Leia saw them off that morning, there had been a twinkle in her eye, and she'd told them that neither of them was needed for the rest of the day.

'You never know what the other vendors might have,' she'd said.

Finn appreciated the gesture. It would have been tough to return without having the chance to at least look around first. While he would have, he was grateful not to have to.

Beaming, he turned to Poe. 'Are fetes always like this?'

Poe laughed and clapped him on the back. 'You sound like Rey. When everything's over, we're all going to have to go on a tour of the galaxy. Come on; let's get our "shopping" done so we can explore.'

'Right.' Finn pulled out the map Leia had given them and oriented it. As tempting as it was to just stay there and savour the moment, they had a job to do.

They started to weave through the crowd, moving steadily but looking around at the wares to make it seem like they were merely browsing. The First Order had no way of knowing they were there, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

'I think I'd like to find somewhere I can just _stay_ for a while first,' Finn said, returning to their previous conversation. 'Rose wants to see Coruscant one day, so maybe we could go there.'

'You would love it.'

Feeling impish, Finn shot him a knowing look. 'Of course, it might work out better for you that way.'

'What do you mean?'

Finn shrugged. 'You and Rey work well together.'

'We all do.' Poe paused to examine a painting of a far-distant industrial city for a moment before moving on.

'Yes, but it's different for the two of you. Just like it's different for Rose and me.'

Poe seemed to consider that. 'It's different for me. I don't think it's different for her.'

'You might be surprised.' Glancing down at the map, Finn realised they were rapidly approaching their destination. Just ahead and to the left was a stall with various pieces of crockery on display. Behind it sat a woman with bright red hair — Zana.

'Maybe.' Poe's gaze settled on the stall as well, and he walked forward, seeming to admire a ceramic cup. 'Do you have any interesting sugar bowls? We're looking for a gift for a friend.'

Zana eyed them carefully. 'Do you have anything particular in mind?'

'Something very particular,' Finn said. 'Leia has very specific tastes.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: Winter Fete


	18. Cluster of Stars

Even though Poe knew the Resistance base was only minutes away, it felt like he and Rey were all alone in the galaxy as they lay atop the grassy knoll, their hands resting mere centimetres apart. The night was silent except for the chirping of crickets and the sound of the breeze rustling the distant trees.

The sky stretched out overhead, brilliant and unimpeded by smoke or manmade structures. Clusters of twinkling stars spanned the great expanse. As he watched, a meteor shot across down and out of view.

Life in the Resistance was as demanding as it was necessary. There was always something that needed doing, and since they had to keep their location secret, they didn't have many opportunities to go on dates in the traditional sense of the word.

But whenever they could, they carved out a few seconds or minutes or hours for themselves, racing their ships back to base after a mission or making sure their lunch breaks aligned or ducking away to explore the surrounding area for an evening. It never felt like it was enough, but in the few months since they'd started seeing one another, the time had added up.

'I used to do this all the time when I was a child,' Rey said. 'I stared up at the stars and dreamt about all the amazing places just outside my reach.'

'Have they lived up to your expectations?' Poe asked.

'They've surpassed them.' She smiled, her tone one of wonder. 'Takodana surpassed it that first day alone.'

He wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was heartbreaking that she'd had such a bleak childhood that she hadn't been able to imagine anything more spectacular as Takodana. Then again, it would have been worse if she'd finally left Jakku, only to find that life among the stars wasn't as satisfying as she'd thought.

He settled for saying, 'I'm glad they haven't disappointed you.'

'No.' She raised her hand and traced out a shape in the stars. 'Those ones always reminded me of a bow with an arrow nocked.'

Poe tilted his head. 'I can see the resemblance.'

'I don't understand how people can do evil deeds when there's beauty like this out there.'

'You mean Kylo Ren.' Rey had told Poe about the strange connection she'd once shared with him. 'Some people see beauty as a challenge.'

She sighed. 'I don't think I'll ever believe he's beyond saving. I can't believe anyone is.'

'That's why I love you,' he said without thinking.

Rey stiffened, and Poe wished he could take those words back. He'd known how he felt for Rey for a while, feeling it deep within his bones, but he hadn't wanted to scare her by saying them too soon. The last time she'd heard those words would have been the last time she'd seen her parents.

Quietly, he said, 'I don't expect you to say it back.'

To his relief, she relaxed and took his hand. 'Thank you, but… I love you too.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: starlit night


	19. Failure

The cold wind whistled as it blew through the gaps in the mountain peaks, but Rey paid the noise little heed. All her attention was on the man in front of her — or, more precisely, his lightsaber.

Breathing heavily, she pressed forward, driving Ben Solo backwards.

All around them, the rest of the Resistance clashed with the stormtroopers and the remaining Knights of Ren — now down to three, thanks to the past few months of work.

Her friends were winning. Her _side_ was winning. This mountain range might be the place the First Order finally fell.

With a deft feint, followed by a solid thrust that Rey had to strain to block, Ben broke the rhythm of her attacks. Stepping forward, he swung hard, the strike strong enough to smash through anything.

Rey stepped back and to the side, avoiding the deadly blade. Ben recovered quickly, bringing himself back to a neutral position before erupting into an onslaught that left her struggling to keep up.

'Surrender,' he said between parries. 'It's not too late for you to join me.'

Her yellow lightsaber met his, and she took a moment to take a breath. 'You're wrong. It's been too late for a while now.'

It was the first time she'd said that to him; the first time she'd suggested that she might give up on him after all.

Rage flashed in Ben's eyes, and he tore his lightsaber away from hers. With a shout, he charged forward, his every move screaming aggression and fury.

That was the moment Rey knew that she wouldn't be able to reach him. One day, maybe, he would turn, and Ben Solo would be restored to the world. But not by her, and not to Leia, and not in time for this to end peacefully.

For the first time, her aim turned from saving him to neutralising him. She didn't want to kill him, but if that was the only way to end this conflict, she would.

Sweat drenched her back, and she stumbled as she tried to keep his strikes from breaking through her guard. She regained her footing and took a step back.

The ground beneath her crumbled.

Rey fell, tumbling down the side of the mountain. On pure instinct, she turned her lightsaber off and held onto it with all her might. Losing her weapon now could prove fatal; accidentally stabbing herself even more so.

 _Splash!_

The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. Water was everywhere, heavy and suffocating. Her eyes stang, so she closed them. Her arms and legs flailed, desperately trying to slow her descent.

She sank anyway.

Her feet touched the bottom of the lake, and she pushed herself up. Her lungs were painfully empty, straining for air. The water was getting lighter, but it still surrounded her. She didn't know if she would reach the surface in time. She —

Air. Beautiful, blissful air.

She just had time to suck in a breath before she was underwater again. Up and down she went, never quite able to get enough air.

Something jumped in next to her, and hands grabbed at her and pulled her to the surface. Gasping for breath, she clutched at her saviour, relieved at the reprieve.

'Rey, are you alright?' Poe asked, and she realised he'd been speaking since they surfaced. 'I've got you.'

Rey nodded and held him closer. His legs were moving underwater with ease, and his free arm was skimming the surface. Somehow, that was enough to keep them both afloat.

'Can you swim back to shore?'

'No.'

Realisation dawned in his eyes. 'Move your legs like this,' he said, showing her. When she had worked out how to do it, he showed her how to move her arms as well.

As her panic eased, she looked up to where she'd fallen from. Kylo Ren's shuttle was flying away. 'He's gone.'

'We'll find him again.'

'We will.' Next time, they would be ready. They would have a plan.

They started back to shore, Poe teaching her how to hold herself.

The lake among the mountain peaks had seemed so beautiful when they'd arrived. Now, she wished she'd never set eyes on it.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: mountain lake


	20. A Team

Poe tapped his finger against the table to the beat of the music as his grandson waltzed with his new bride. Zeth and Kelsa's movements weren't polished, but they were in sync, and the few times they made a misstep, they both laughed good-naturedly. They were both beaming with radiant delight as the song came to an end and their parents joined them on the dance floor.

Neither of them had ever looked so happy. Poe remembered how overjoyed he had been on his own wedding day, and he was thrilled that Zeth was getting the chance to experience that as well.

'They're so in love,' Rose said, leaning her head against Finn's shoulder.

Rey turned to Poe with a knowing smile. 'They're a team.'

'They are.'

The idea that the four of them might share a great-grandchild one day felt surreal. When Zeth and Kelsa had first started dating, they'd joked about it, but Poe had never truly entertained the idea, not wanting to put pressure on the young couple.

The main piece of advice Poe and Rey had given their children when they were old enough to be interested in romance was to look for someone who they would always want by their side. Looks changed, personalities altered, and interests diverged. Since the one thing that could remain the same throughout it all was a commitment to get through it together, there was no point dating someone they would not trust beyond a shadow of a doubt as a teammate.

To their relief, all of their children had married people who were genuine partners to them — and now, it seemed, their oldest grandchild had followed in their footsteps.

The decades that had passed since the end of the war hadn't been easy. Even after the First Order's defeat, they'd had a lot to do to prevent such a force from rising again. Rey had rebuilt the Jedi Academy, using Luke's and her own criticisms of it to find a new way, while Poe, Finn and Rose had helped to train the next generation of pilots and soldiers.

Poe had never doubted that the effort was worth it. Every bruise, every loss, every battle — they had all been in the service of the good of the people.

But as he watched Zeth and Kelsa dance, he knew that he would have done it a thousand times over to get to this point, where they could live in peace, capable of getting through anything but with the hope of never having to.

Poe took the final bite of his pavlova, savouring the delicious sweetness. Rey had already finished hers; while she'd become much more comfortable around food over the years, her habit of eating quickly had never entirely gone away.

Then, as everyone else was invited to join in the revelry, he turned to Rey. 'Shall we?'

'Let's do it.'

They joined the others on the dance floor, Finn and Rose following not long afterwards. They stayed as the slow song was replaced by a fast one, and then another and another. They couldn't keep up with the rhythm like they could have when they were younger, but it didn't matter. Poe danced with Kelsa and Rey with Zeth, and by the time the reception was over, their feet were sore and their hearts were full.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: pavlova


	21. By the Hearth

The world outside was freezing. An unexpected cold front had swept in overnight, bringing with it fierce rain and the occasional burst of hail. It was difficult to see past the rivulets running down the windows.

Poe and Rey had been planning to take the children out to spend the day playing in the nearby bush. Yvette, their youngest, had been reading about all the different animals and plants that lived there, and she'd wanted to see how many of them she could find near their house, while Liana and Inigo had challenged each other to see who could climb the highest tree.

But as it was, they'd had little choice but to hole up safely inside until the storm passed. At first, the children had been disappointed at having to postpone the trip, but it hadn't taken long for Poe and Rey to divert their attention.

While the weather outside was dreary, the house was warm and lively. The fire crackled gently in the hearth as the five of them sat cross-legged in a circle on the living room rug. Rain pattered on the roof, loud enough that they had to raise their voices to be heard over the din.

A board game was laid out between them. Coloured pieces dotted the cardboard to mark their places, and they all held an array of resource cards in their hands.

Inigo rolled both dice, one for a number and one for a resource, before cheering at the result. 'Three fuel canisters!'

As Inigo collected his new resource cards, Liana started to reorder her own hand. The moment his turn was done, she started in on a flurry of moves that had Poe struggling to keep up. She had been coming last for most of the game, but by the time she put her final set of cards down, she was grinning around at them all proudly.

In one turn, she had finished building her ship and launched it into space, coming from out of nowhere to win herself the game.

'Well played,' Rey said appreciatively.

Inigo sighed and put his hand down face-up. 'I was going to go out next turn.'

'I wasn't.' Yvette followed suit. She had a mix of different cards. They all had the potential to be useful, but she didn't have enough of any in particular to do anything with them.

Poe and Rey displayed their cards as well, and as a group, they talked about their different strategies for the game and what had and hadn't worked for them.

The kids had started the tradition years ago; they'd always wanted to either brag about what they had done well or commiserate over what had gone poorly. Wanting to encourage good sportsmanship, Poe had started gently guiding the post-game talks into more of a learning experience for all.

So far, it was working out well.

'I _wanted_ you all to underestimate me,' Liana said when it was her turn. 'It meant you were more interested in sabotaging each other than stopping me.'

'Oh.' Inigo's eyes lit up. 'I wondered why you hadn't done much to your ship yet when you had so many cards.'

'I was saving them.'

'My turn to pick the game,' Yvette said, hurrying over to the stack of boxes on the shelf nearby.

Their original plans might have fallen through, but as the fire crackled and the rain pattered down on the roof, not one of them cared.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: cold snap

We could do with some more rain here. Also, the idea is that Krina (from the eighth drabble) is a few years younger than Yvette, so she's not born yet here.


	22. Darkness and Light

The waves crashed against the shore, sending whitewater splashing onto the rocks above. Swinging her lightsaber at Kylo Ren, Rey moved across the slippery surface, her steps careful but sure. She drew on the Force to sense the world around her: which rocks were stable, which ones were about to be doused in water, which ones were too high or too low to step across easily.

When she had realised this was the site the Resistance had chosen for what they hoped was their final confrontation with the First Order, she'd been horrified. After the incident with the mountain lake, her friends had been teaching her to swim, but she was still weak in the water. The idea of being so close to the edge, especially with the tide so rough, had made her nervous.

Now that she was here, however, it seemed oddly fitting. Water had been present last time, when she — no matter what Poe said — had let the Resistance down by failing to defeat Kylo Ren. Perhaps it was only right that their rematch was also taking place by water.

Kylo deflected her blow and parried quickly, forcing her back. She moved away from the shoreline; while she _could_ cope on the slick rocks, it was taking up too much of her focus for her to ever find and press an advantage.

The sooner this was over, the better. Rey was more prepared this time; Poe, Rose and Chewbacca, along with the other pilots, were leading the rest of the First Order on a merry chase while Finn and Leia lay in wait nearby. But their distraction could only last for so long. Unless Rey overcame Kylo, they would eventually be caught and overpowered.

Inspiration struck her like lightning. Knowing he would never forgive her, she said, 'Maybe Luke was right about you.'

Kylo's eyes flashed, and he charged forward, swinging his lightsaber like a rabid animal. He was at his most dangerous and most vulnerable when he was mad, throwing all of his power into every move.

Turning off her lightsaber as a further taunt, Rey shuffled backwards to avoid his strikes. Every time she dodged him, the anger in his gaze sharpened further until it could cut through bone.

As he started one particularly harsh swing, she darted to the side instead of backwards. His swing had too much force for him to pull it up. Her arm was already moving before she clicked the button to ignite her lightsaber once more. Before he could react, she'd hit the back of his blade, adding her power to his.

His weapon was torn from his grasp.

Rey dropped to the ground, and it flipped past where her head had been before falling uselessly into the surf.

Rolling onto her back, Rey smoothly stood, holding her lightsaber aloft between them. 'Surrender.'

Hands half-raised, Kylo took a step forward as if even now, he was going to try to continue to fight.

Her blade followed the movement, and he halted.

'Ben,' a voice said from behind Rey, and his gaze flickered over her shoulder. The rage melted away, leaving only longing and sorrow behind. 'Ben, please.'

'Mother.'

'Order your troops to stand down. Let's talk this out like we should have a long time ago. Just you and me.'

Trusting that Leia — and, from his place a few metres back, Finn — could take care of themselves, Rey turned and ran in the direction of her ship. Even if Kylo Ren agreed to call off the First Order's attack, there was no guarantee the command would reach everyone in time. The pilots might need backup.

Besides, she was no longer of any use here.

For the longest time, she'd been convinced that she had to save Ben in order to save herself. They both had darkness and light in them, and neither of them knew how much they had of each. Back then, she'd thought that if she couldn't bring him back from his darkness, then she might not be able to defeat her own.

Rey knew better than that now. She'd already defeated her darkness, and with the help of Poe and their friends, she would continue to defeat it every time it reared its head. And while she had been the one who could stop him, she didn't have the power to turn him.

The only person who could save Ben was himself, and the only person who could help him do that was Leia.

Climbing into the cockpit and closing the glass, Rey lifted off into the air, leaving the lonely beach behind.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: beach


	23. Attachments and Community

The Jedi Order had a long, fascinating, messy history. Reading through the ancient books and scrolls she'd taken from Ahch-To, Rey was glad she hadn't left them behind. It would have been a shame for their knowledge to have been lost to the world forever.

She could certainly understand Luke's criticisms of the Jedi and even had some of her own. Some of their actions over the centuries seemed misguided, and she couldn't wrap her head around the idea of foregoing family and romantic love.

Attachments were what brought people together. She'd seen what life was like with them and without them, and she was far stronger now she had friends she cared about than she had been when she was alone.

Perhaps she would think differently when she'd finished reading the texts, but she doubted it. So far, the more she read, the more fallible they seemed. The Jedi weren't a perfect group; they had their faults, the same as anyone, except theirs were magnified by the power and influence they possessed.

But while Rey recognised their flaws, she also saw the value in their teachings. The key precepts of peace, knowledge, serenity, harmony and the Force were worthy aims, and she appreciated the focus on fairness and compassion. There was always going to be evil to confront and people to protect; so too did there have to be people to fight them.

If one thing was clear, it was that the Jedi line couldn't end with her. When the war was over, she had to find a way to reform these traditions and share them with a new generation of Force-wielders.

A knock on the door disrupted her thinking. Tucking the book away in the box beneath her bed, she crossed the room and opened the door.

Poe, Finn and Rose were standing at the threshold, dressed in garishly bright, outlandish clothes. Their arms were slung comfortably around one another's shoulders, and from his spot at one end, Finn was holding up a datapad.

As strange as the sight was, it wasn't the weirdest thing about the scene.

No, the weirdest thing was how the moment Rey opened the door, they all burst into song. There was no music, but that didn't seem to phase them in the slightest.

They weren't actually that bad. Finn and Rose both had decent voices, while Poe was an excellent singer, his voice calm and soothing.

By the time they finished three songs, Rey was laughing. 'What are you doing?'

'Wassailing,' Rose replied. 'We were hoping you'd join us.'

'You're assuming I can even sing.'

'Not precisely,' Poe said. 'I might have mentioned that time I overheard you singing.'

Rey raised an eyebrow. 'Might have?'

He grinned unapologetically.

It was tempting, but… 'I won't know any of the songs.'

Finn turned the datapad around to reveal sheet music. 'That's what this is for.'

She hesitated.

Rose pulled a brightly-coloured jumper from her bag. 'I brought you something to wear.'

The texts could wait another day or two. Rebuilding the Jedi Order would take time; besides, hadn't she just been thinking about the importance of attachments and community, and how she was stronger with her friends than without them?

Rey took the jumper and pulled it over her head. 'I'm in. Let's go.'

* * *

A/N: Prompt: wassailing


	24. Living In The Moment

Warm and homely, the hut stood in the middle of a clearing near the base of the mountain. It was small, consisting of only two rooms, but that was part of its charm.

When he was a child, Poe might have seen the close quarters as cramped. But after years spent fighting with the Resistance, his views had changed. He had grown accustomed to economical rooms and threadbare hideouts.

Besides, with Rey by his side, more space was the last thing he wanted. The hut could have been half the size, and they would have made do and been grateful.

They'd arrived on the planet on official business before ducking away for a week to themselves. It wasn't what he'd envisioned when he suggested they travel together after the war, but until the Jedi Academy was set up well enough to run without her, it was the best they could do.

As they finished the soup they'd made for dinner, he touched the outline of the ring in his pocket in an almost subconscious gesture to make sure it was still there. 'Let's go for a walk.'

The moment they stepped outside, a smile of wonder spread across Rey's face. 'It's stunning.'

Poe looked up, and his breath caught in his throat. Pink, green, yellow and blue light danced, twirled and darted across the sky in an awe-inspiring display.

The aurora had been pretty enough from the city where they'd spent their first week planetside, but it had only been visible in small bursts. The skyscrapers and fog had made it pale and difficult to see.

From here, it was something else entirely. The sky was vast, broken only by the occasional tree or rock, and they had a nearly uninterrupted view of its majesty. He'd never known that anything could look so glorious and free.

Completely arrested by the sight, he waited until the night sky had darkened once more before turning to Rey.

'We've been through a lot together,' he said. 'Some parts of it have been wonderful, and other parts have been horrible, but we've gotten through it all. I love you, and no matter what happens or what we're doing, there's nobody I would rather spend my time with.'

She smiled at him, but there was confusion in her gaze. 'Me neither; you're my family. But you already know that.'

They had spoken about the future a few times and agreed that they wanted to get married someday soon, but it was clear she didn't realise what he was leading up to.

'I don't want that to ever change,' he said. 'Will you marry me?'

Rey's expression cleared, and she beamed, lighting up her face just as the aurora had lit up the sky. 'Yes. Yes, of course.'

The whole world felt still and silent as he pulled the engagement ring out of his pocket and slipped it on her finger. One day, their hopes for their life together would become reality, and he would replace it with his mother's ring.

As they kissed, all thoughts of the future fled Poe's mind. It would come when it came, and it would be magnificent. But for now, all that mattered was the moment.

* * *

A/N: Prompt: aurora

This took almost a year longer than expected, but it's finally done! Merry Christmas for last year and for this year.


End file.
